One Step at a Time
by peacock blue eyes
Summary: [oneshot] Roxas visits Orette while she's sick on Valentine's Day. [RoxasxOrette]


**SD**: Hmm…don't have much to say…except I don't celebrate Valentines' Day, but it's something to center the fic on. And after re-reading this, it didn't seem great. Oh, well. Please read and enjoy. Hopefully…

_For a special someone who's recently received good news._

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or its sequel…sub-sequel…and so on.**_

_More than a friend?_

He just stared blankly at his computer screen and blinked at the question Hayner had recently typed in on the AIM window.

_Do you like Orette?_

Every fiber of his being activated when her name was spelled out right in front of him. Orette. He liked the name. It was an original name and suited her well. But then, he didn't know anybody else by the name of Orette.

Come to think of it, he thinks the brunette has said the same thing to him once. When they first met about maybe two years ago? Funny…how he didn't seem to remember it till now.

Of course he liked Orette. As a close friend. She was always the mature one, always the one who was looking out for them. She seemed like the older sibling he never had. So why all of a sudden is he feeling uneasy?

He sat up straight and placed his fingers on the keyboard, tapping them lightly while thinking of how to respond so Hayner wouldn't take it the wrong way. The taller blonde has the habit of teasing the hell out of him, even if what he said meant the exact opposite.

**BHK13**: _What do u mean?_

**struggleCHAMP32**: _U know what I mean!_

He made a mental note to himself to think up a new screen name, which hasn't been changed since he first got AIM a really long time ago. Unlike Hayner's, which constantly changes 24/7.

**BHK13**: _Uh…no, cuz if I knew what u meant, then I wouldn't ask…_

**struggleCHAMP32**: _Dude, u are so slow…do you L-I-K-E _**her**_…as in, more than a friend…u bum…_

That's what he thought. Alright, so maybe he does. A little… But he wasn't going to admit it to anyone just yet.

**BHK13**: _What makes u think that?_

**struggleCHAMP32**: _I dunno…OH! So you DO like her! Hahahahahaha…rotflmao_

He frowned at the screen. Hayner was a strange kid.

**BHK13**: _…_

**struggleCHAMP32**: _U see, Roxas, if u didn't like her, then u would just say no…_

**BHK13**: _That doesn't mean it's a yes, Hayner_

**struggleCHAMP32**: _Stop denying it…u KNOW u like her…_

He sighed. So much for not admitting. It didn't really matter what he said in the end. At least he can trust Hayner enough not to blurt it out to the rest of universe…hopefully…

**BHK13**: _…Fine, I do like her. So what? It's just a small crush…_

**struggleCHAMP32**: _XP_

**BHK13**: _You're an idiot. g2g. Later._

**struggleCHAMP32**: _Ur leaving already! Oh…well, just to let u know, V-Day is next week. Why don't u get something for her?_

V-Day…Valentine's Day. He didn't see why girls got excited all over a box of chocolate they received from their secret admirers. It wasn't actually a holiday since on a holiday, you get a day off. Forget it, he didn't celebrate those kind of stuff and wasn't going to start any time soon.

**BHK13**: _…I said it's just a small crush…plus, I don't see the point of that day. Whatever, I'll talk to ya later…_

**struggleCHAMP32**: _Later._

He signed out and turned the computer off. Leaning back into his chair, he stretched and yawned at the white ceiling above him. _'Damn, how long was I on?'_ He glanced at the clock and nearly fell out of his seat. 11:55 A.M. "Damn you, Hayner! Now I'm late for my job!" he groaned to himself as he grabbed his skateboard and rushed out.

He _hated_ delivering letters.

_Her Gift…_

So Roxas's 'small' crush had gotten a little bigger in less than a week. Too bad the negative effect was now he couldn't stop thinking about her. This is all Hayner's fault. Definitely Hayner's.

Hayner walked up to him with a huge smirk on his lips. "So…did you get anything for her yet?"

Roxas scowled. "I told you, I don't see the point of Valentines Day. There's nothing special about it, other than getting candy and letters." Great. More work for him then. It's going to be hell delivering all those letters.

Hayner shrugged and plopped himself onto a sofa. They were at the usual spot where they would hang out. It seemed quiet without Pence and Orette. Roxas was getting worried. She hasn't been at school for the past few days, and it wasn't like Orette to miss having perfect attendance. Hayner's voice brought him out of his thoughts when he mentioned her name. "Well, Orette seems to think differently…" The blonde fished something out of his backpack that was lying next to him and handed it to Roxas. It was a medium-sized red box, securely closed with a white ribbon tied around it. "Orette's sick with the flu."

Roxas raised his head in alarm. "What?" Hayner suddenly laughed, which caused Roxas to blush slightly but he just shook his head. "Hayner, this isn't funny. Does Orette really have the flu?"

"Haha…nah, I was just messin' with ya to see how you would react. She had a fever and was going to come back today but her mom wouldn't let her. So she had Pence deliver these to us." He held up his own package and shook it slightly, letting its content rattle against the cover. "She made them a week ago, but I'm gonna call her anyway to see if none of her germs went flying into the chocolate."

Roxas frowned at his friend. "You know Orette is too careful to let something like that happen."

"Pfft, you're no fun. And c'mon, Roxas. Orette made you chocolate, you should at least give her something back since she's sick and all."

Roxas scratched the back of his head and look down at the box of chocolates on his lap. He really did want to thank Orette but didn't know how. The thought of going up to her and giving her a gift made his cheeks burn. "I dunno…maybe I'll go visit her, but a gift?"

"Hey, don't worry about it. You still have time, y'know."

Time. Roxas glanced at his watch and did a doubletake. "Crap!" He shoved the box of chocolates into his backpack and grabbed his skateboard. "One of these days, Hayner. I swear I'm going to kill you."

"Hey! You can't do that! Who's going to be your best man at your wedding?" Hayner called from the entrance of their hangout, laughing as he watched his friend skate down the steep street.

"You're not invited!" Roxas yelled back, smirking before disappearing around a corner.

Chuckling, Hayner shook his head and went back inside.

_Just Passing By_

He passed by the flower shop this morning. It was swarmed with customers and the other few dozen people who forgot today was February 14th. He swallowed hard, realizing he, too, had forgotten. Though it wasn't really his fault and all the blame should fall on his job.

Roxas continued walking, waving at Aeris, the storeowner. She smiled and waved back. He had never seen her sad, which is creepy. Who can be that happy when their store is literally being destroyed by procrastinators? The blonde shook his head and hurried to school.

_Not Here_

She was absent again. Fourth day in a row. Roxas was starting to doubt she had just a 'fever.' Hayner had told him that she sounded fatigued when he called her. She told him not to worry about it, and that she'll probably be back by next week.

"Hey, if she says she's okay, then she's okay." Orette is THAT honest.

Pence also said the same thing, which brought him some relief. The dark-haired boy had known Orette for what seemed like forever.

"Hey, Roxas."

"What?"

"I told her you'd be going over to her house to visit…today."

Roxas gave Hayner a disbelieving look. "What!" The blonde bolted up straight, half enraged that Hayner told her without telling him first. Hayner held up his hands in defense, trying not to break into mirth.

"Whoa, whoa...no need to get upset over it. She said she wanted to see you anyway."

Roxas groaned and dropped his head onto his desk. "You don't get it. I've got nothing to give her."

"Oh…well, that's a problem."

Roxas rolled his eyes at him. He grinned sheepishly back.

"Do you think Aeris would still have some flowers left by the end of the day?"

"I do **_not_ **want to give her flowers." It would feel too awkward, walking to Orette's house carrying a bunch of flowers. Even more embarrassing to present it to her in person.

Hayner shrugged. "Well, then you're outta luck 'cause all the candy stores have been sellin' are gone."

"…" Why is he always the one with the worst luck?

"Aeris is your only option."

"…I hate you…"

_Decisions_

"Roxas, if you're not going, then I'm going for you."

"I said no."

"Good, then you can go in."

Roxas glared at the flower shop across the street. At least there wasn't a huge crowd like the one this morning. He had finally agreed to go just so it would get Hayner to stop bugging him.

"You have ten seconds or we're leaving. Ten…"

"I said-"

"Nine…"

Roxas dashed across the street and burst into the shop. There was the sound of a clay pot breaking and a small squeak that came from the back corner of the store. Aeris poked her head out from behind a door and smiled.

"Oh, Roxas! Be right with you in a sec, I just have to clean up this mess," she giggled and went back into her office.

Roxas stared at the mess around him. The place was a wreck. Soil covered most of the floor with a few broken pieces of flower pots buried in the dirt. A watering can laid on its side, left with nothing but a few drops of water hanging from its tip.

"Sorry about that," the brunette's gentle voice said as she emerged from the back, dusting the dirt off her apron. She smiled at him when she reached the counter. "Well, how can I help you today?"

Roxas scratched his head and looked around. Most of the shelves were empty. Aeris gave him a quizzical look before giggling. He arched an eyebrow at her.

"Who's it for?"

"Huh?"

"Oh, don't play dumb with me. You wouldn't have any other reason to come into a flower shop of the 14th of February now, would you? So tell me, who's it for?"

"…I, uh…"

"Orette, right?"

His cheeks was tinged a fair red but wasn't surprised to find out she knew. Aeris just had this gift of reading people. "…yeah."

Her green eyes twinkled with amusement. "I thought so." It was kind of strange how they had the same eyes. Orette's and Aeris's. Maybe they don't notice, but there's always a strange sense of feeling he gets whenever he looks at them. "Well, I'm afraid that I don't have any roses. All sold out before noon."

Roxas shrugged. "That's okay. I wasn't looking for roses in particular."

"Oh? Then how 'bout these?" She bent down and he craned his neck to try to get a look of what she was searching for. "Aha, found them!" She placed two pots onto the counter, one containing a bunch of daffodils. The other being daisies. "These are the only two kinds I have left. Though, there's much more daffodils to spare."

_Bang! _The door burst opened so abruptly, it scared Aeris out of her wits leading her to accidentally bump against one of the pots off the counter.

"Roxas, are you…oh…"

Aeris clicked her tongue and shook her head disapprovingly at the two boys. "Tsk, tsk. Boys will never change…" she muttered as she walked around Roxas and started to pick up the flowers.

"Sorry, Miss Aeris," Pence apologized. She waved it off and smiled…again.

"This happens all the time. Don't worry about it. So, Roxas, what will it be? The daffodils or daisies?"

Maybe he should just back out from it. The more he thought about it, the more he didn't want to do it.

"Roxas, you don't have all day," Hayner said impatiently.

"…those." He gave a nod towards the yellow flowers Aeris held in her arms. She beamed and went to grab the wrapping paper.

"Good choice."

"See, that wasn't so hard. Well, since you're done deciding, we'll just leave. Don't forget where she lives, alright?" Hayner winked at him and dragged Pence off before Roxas had any time to retort back.

"Wha-what? Hey, you guys!"

"You better tell us how it went!" With that, they left.

Roxas sighed. Aeris was busy humming to herself, seemingly having fun choosing which kind of paper to use. "Uh, Aeris, I don't think it really matters-"

"No, no! This won't do!" Ok, so she wasn't going to listen to him. "How 'bout I give you a box?"

"Uh, sure…" Actually, that would be much easier to carry since his only source of transportation is his skateboard. While she rummaged through a closet, he wondered. Does Orette even like flowers? What if she's allergic to them? "Hey, Aeris?"

"Hmm?"

"How…well do you know Orette?"

"Oh, I'd say fairly well. Why do you ask? Aren't you the one who's known her longer?"

He realized he didn't really know a lot about her or her interests. They just…talked all this time. "I…guess."

"Found one!" Aeris tried to reach for the package on the top shelf but instead, ended up falling off her stool, having everything coming out of place and soon piled up on top of her. Roxas rushed around the counter and threw the boxes that covered her.

"Are you alright?"

"Oof! Yeah, I'm fine. Couldn't be better." She grinned before taking his hand and letting him help her up. "My, I have to be more careful, huh?"

'_I dunno, Aeris. What do you think?_' He suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, and decided to ask if she'll need any help putting all those containers back but was cut off by her question.

"Oh, I've been meaning to ask you. Have I received any letters?"

"…Not that I know of. Why?"

Aeris smiled sadly and sighed. "It's nothing. I was just wondering." She always asked him the same thing whenever he was there. Come to think of it, he's never asked her why before.

"Who-"

"Here it is! I was afraid I lost it among the others."

He watched her arranged the daffodils and fit them snugly into the velvet box. He had to admit, the way she was so careful with her plants…made up for her clumsiness.

"There! Done. Unless you want-"

"No, I'm sure that's enough." No flashy ribbons, please. "How much will that be?"

"Hmm…" The brunette tapped her chin thoughtfully. "How 'bout I give you a discount?"

"A discount?"

"Mmm-hmm. That will be $6."

He handed her the money and frowned. "But why me?"

"No reason," she gave a little laugh. He didn't know…he looked just like that someone she's been waiting for. Maybe that's why she liked Roxas so much, but she couldn't tell him that. He didn't have to know. "And don't worry about the mess. I'll handle it myself."

Roxas closed his mouth shut. He didn't even say anything and she already knew what he was going to ask.

"Go on, what are you waiting for? Your time with Orette is not getting any longer, y'know."

He blushed at her statement and muttered a "thanks." Turning, he headed for the door.

"Oh, Roxas!"

He stopped and looked back. "Yeah?"

She stared at him for a moment, then smiled and shook her head. "Never mind."

"Oh, ok. Later, Aeris."

"Bye." She waved as he disappeared from sight. She wanted to say "Come visit me soon" so that she could take another good look at his face. So similar to that someone who was important to her. Not exact, but similar. She liked his company, even though it wasn't really the same. Sighing, she whispered, "Until next time."

_One Step At A Time_

Orette sneezed again and groaned. She has officially finished the fifth box of tissues today. _'I must be setting a new world record.' _Glancing at the large pile of books on her desk, she smiled with satisfaction that she had finished every single assignment. Now she could just relax.

"Orette! Roxas's here to see you!"

At the mention of her friend's name, her face lit up. The brunette jumped out of bed, grabbed her bed robe and went downstairs. She saw him sitting on the living room's sofa with his back to her.

"Roxas!"

He turned his head and grinned at her. "Hey, Orette. How are you feeling?"

"Better." She smiled and went to sit in a big armchair to his right. "I haven't talked to you in what seemed like ages."

He gave a laugh. "Sorry. It's been hectic these pass few days." Talking with her was so natural. He wondered if she felt the same way.

Orette nodded and then sneezed again. She squinted her eyes while holding her nose with one hand and started to blindly search for the tissue box.

"Here." She felt the warmth of his hand brush against her own as he passed the tissue to her.

"Thanks," came her muffled voice as she blew her nose. She hoped her blush didn't show. She wished she had not gotten sick. "Ugh, I think I look terrible." Here she was, talking to him dressed in her pajamas with a stuffy, red nose and a scratchy throat. What could be more embarrassing?

"No, you still are pretty." Roxas cursed himself. Why did that have to come out just now? Fortunately, she didn't hear what he said. Maybe…

"Hayner called me and said you'd be dropping by. What for?"

"Uh, to…thank you for the chocolates."

Her green eyes shimmered curiously before she smiled. "Oh, no problem. Hehe, he wouldn't stop asking me if they were 'contaminated with my illness.'" She rolled her eyes to the ceiling.

Roxas chuckled. "That's Hayner for you."

There was a silence that followed. He was staring at the carpet for who knows what reason. Orette gazed at him warmly, taking in all his physical features. She blushed and scolded herself but she couldn't help it. She didn't want him to look away. But if he looked at her, she'll just end up avoiding his gaze at her.

"Orette, I-" he hesitated, not knowing how to organize his words.

"Yes?"

He wasn't able to admit it. He knew he wasn't prepared. "Um…when you feel better, I…do you want…to go somewhere? I dunno, anywhere I guess." At least that was better than nothing.

"I'd love to."

He looked up. "Really?"

She nodded and smiled. "Yeah. Just the two of us?" _'It doesn't matter where. Anywhere is fine as long as you're there.'_

He grinned. "Yeah. Anywhere you want." So he wasn't ready to say he liked her. But one day he will. He's just going to have to take it one step at a time.

"It's a date then." Orette could feel her heart pounding violently against her chest. She found herself unable to look at him and let her eyes fall onto the rectangular package placed next to him. "What's that?"

Roxas glanced down to where she was pointing, but instead of the package, he saw the time. His eyes widened and he shot out of his seat. "I'm so sorry, Orette. I have to go or I'll be late for my job. I promise I'll call you soon." He gave her an apologetic grin and shot off like a bullet. She ran after him to the door and called to him down the street.

"But what about-!"

"That package is for you!" He waved back to her before turning back ahead and gaining speed. He smiled to himself, hoping she would like it.

_End_

**SD**: I wish I didn't do this while typing my report. Now this is all bleh…and terrible.  
Anyway, there's your Roxette. Maybe I'll rewrite this…if I feel like it.

And to me, when I first saw how Roxas really looked like, he sorta reminded me of Cloud. (shrug)

Well…anyways, thanks to those who read the whole thing through. Cookies for you who reviewed (I wub you allz (huggles) X3). My next focus would probably be either on one of the one-shots or fics I've been planning to write. I dunno…Roxiri or Squiffie? You tell me. :D Ja, bye bye.


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